


I Thought We Said No More Family Secrets

by Something_untraceable



Series: Secrets unveiled [1]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017), Legend of the Three Caballeros (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Other, his life before the triplets, its only a mention of the caballeros, some donald backstory time cause the show won't tell me more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-12 07:24:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19942402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Something_untraceable/pseuds/Something_untraceable
Summary: The triplets never really gave much thought to their Uncle Donald's life before them. After all, all he did was adventure with Uncle Scrooge and Della, right?





	1. Chapter 1

The McDuck family did go on a lot of adventures, but that couldn’t be a non-stop thing. Down time was a must, especially since Uncle Donald insisted on it. So while Uncle Scrooge worked in his office, Della worked on the plane and Uncle Donald napped the kids had to make their own fun, they definitely had the imagination for it.

The four kids (Lena wanted to rest in her room) ran through the manor with vigor in an exciting game of ancient beasts and their otherworldly hunters. Not wanting to be captured so quickly the boys did not want Webby to be a hunter and so with reckless abandon she and Dewie made haste down the halls, Louie and Huey in hot pursuit and armed with nerf guns.

Webby was quick on her feet while Dewey attempted knocking over chairs and other (non-expensive) objects down to hinder their pursuers. Huey took a shot and just missed, darts hitting the wall instead. Louie took a longer way, trying to cut Webby off on her path. Just as he had her in his sights she turned a sharp corner and jumped out of his range. Running behind her Louie missed the turn and skidded, hitting the wall with a loud ‘thud’.

Though a hit like that isn’t usually enough to deter any of the ducklings they all stopped their game to check on Louie who was on the ground rubbing his head.

“I’m okay, but that’s going to be a bump later,” Louie said to ease his siblings.

Webby offered a hand to him. “Sorry about that, I’ll try to run a little more normal. I just get so competitive,” she said with an uneasy face.

“Nah you stay you, Webby. We gotta learn to keep up. How else will we stay on our toes for the next adventure?” said Dewey with a grin.

“You okay to keep playing bro?” asked Huey to Louie. 

“Yeah I’m good, though I think I might have dented the wall.”

Just as he picked up his foam dart gun and they were going to resume Huey stopped them. “Wait! The wall isn’t dented, that’s a fake wood panel!”

The rest of them turned and Webby crouched down to inspect it. She pushed on the panel and it moved aside. “He’s right! Oh my god there’s a chest in here!” she squealed in delight and pulled the wood chest out from its hiding spot and into the hallway.

“This house is just full of weird stuff, huh? Do you think it's some kind of treasure?” said Louie.

“No way would Uncle Scrooge leave any treasure unaccounted for!” argued Webby.

“Then what is it?”

“Whatever it is, it's locked,” said Huey as he lifted the heavy lock on the chest. The whole thing was caked with dust. It must have been there a long time.

“Why don’t we just ask someone about it? Someone in this house has to know,” said Dewey. 

Well he wasn’t wrong about that. The chest wasn’t that heavy so whatever was in there couldn’t be gold, but it made taking it to Uncle Scrooge’s office easier. “Come in,” Scrooge said when he heard a knock at the door.

The four duckling all piled in with their mystery chest in tow. Scrooge was muttering numbers and financial jargon to himself as he wrote, not really paying attention to the new presence. The ‘thunk’ sound the chest made as it was set down caused Scrooge to look up from his work at them. “Now what in heaven’s name have ye got there?” He asked.

“We were hoping you could tell us because it’s locked,” said Webby.

“It was hidden in the wall in the hallway,” supplied Huey.

“Hidden in the wall you say…” Scrooge got up from his chair and made way to the chest. He gave it a look over, but nothing came up in his memory. “I haven’t the slightest idea what this is. It certainly isn’t mine, but you know who would know? Della. She always liked to hide things around the mansion as a kid, it's probably one of her weird puzzles.”

Scrooge didn’t know but the kids had a solid lead, so the adventure continues!  
“Thanks Uncle Scrooge!” said the ducklings in unison as they hauled off the chest to the plane hangar.

“Let me know what it was when you find out!” Scrooge called after them.

“We will!” shouted Dewey from all the way down the hall.

Scrooge chuckled to himself and went back to his desk, setting his cane aside. He was glad to see that even on a day at home there was no lack of adventure.

The ducklings paced towards the hangar where Della was fixing one of the plane’s turbines after their recent incident involving a hot air balloon getting caught in it. No one was hurt, thankfully.

Setting the chest down the boys called after their Mom, Webby still referred to her as Della. “Mom? Are you in here still?” Louie called out.

“Yeah I’m still here! Give me a sec!” called out Della from somewhere on top of the plane. 

Within moments Della vaulted off the top, onto the wing and flipped onto the ground. “Tah dah!” she said as she landed.

“Our mom is so cool,” said Dewey.

“Is there something you needed help with?” asked Della.

Huey pulled the chest forward for her to see, “We found this hiding in the wall and Uncle Scrooge says you used to hide a lot of stuff as a kid so we were wondering if you knew what it was.”

Della hummed and crouched down to inspect it. She wiped off a layer of dust and squinted her eyes as if trying to recall a memory. She stood up and wiped off her hands, “Nope, I don’t have a clue. I’m pretty sure this isn’t mine.”

“Well then whose is it?” asked Louie.

“We haven’t tried asking Uncle Donald yet,” Webby suggested.

“That’s true, but what would he put in a chest to hide? I think we should smash it open,” said Dewey.

“I think I have a crowbar somewhere,” said Della, trying to help.  
“We have to cross everyone off the list first so let’s ask Uncle Donald before we go smashing anything,” said Huey as he picked up the chest and moved it away from his brothers who might try to do something before he could stop them.

Dewey rolled his eyes, “Fiiiine… killjoy.”

“Well let me know if you ever get it open. I’ve got a few more repairs to make, but I’ll see you kids later!” said Della.

And so their quest continued.

Donald was napping in a lawn chair on the front deck of the houseboat. He seemed pretty fast asleep with a magazine covering his face and drool on the side of his bill, but that never stopped the kids before from waking him up and that wouldn’t stop them now.

The ‘thunk’ of the chest being set down on the dock next to him stirred Donald, but he made no effort to move.

“Hey Uncle Donald, do you know what this chest is?” asked Huey.

“We found it hidden in the wall and Uncle Scrooge and Della said they don’t know what it is,” said Webby.

“Chest in the wall…” muttered Donald as he slowly sat up and removed the magazine from his face. He looked at the chest and his eyes went wide in realization. “Yeah that’s mine..”

“Ha!” shouted Huey as he fistpumped the air. “I told you we had to check with everyone before you try to smash it!”

“So what’s in it? Treasure? A map? Embarrassing photos?” Louie pressed as he leaned closer to the chest.

“None of the above,” said Donald as he picked up the chest. “It was just some old college memory things. You remember Jose and Panchito when we fought that plant monster.”

“Then why hide it?” asked Webby.

“It doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“I thought we agreed on no more family secrets?” said Dewey with one eyebrow raised.

“It’s not a family secret, it's more of a personal memory thing. Thanks for bringing the chest to me kids, I had forgotten about it.” Donald said with a smile and patted all their heads affectionately.

“Aren’t you gonna open it?” asked Webby.

“No, I’ll just keep it,” Donald replied as he walked into the houseboat and set in on the table.  
The kids looked disappointed, but Donald didn’t look like he was going to open it for them. All sighing in unison they made their way back to Della and Scrooge to tell them about the boring college memory chest. They should have known it would be something like that if it belonged to Uncle Donald.


	2. Chapter 2

“Donald’s memories from college? It can’t be all that lame, he studied abroad his first year or two,” said Della when they found her again.

“Ooh was he in South America? Is that where he met Jose and Panchito?” asked Webby.

“No he met them later when they studied abroad here,” answered Della, but then she paused in thought. “Actually… I don’t know where he went. I don’t remember if I have any postcards or pictures from him.

“He didn’t send anything? Asked Dewey.

“Not that I remember getting, but maybe Uncle Scrooge has all of that.”

“Guess we’re back where we started,” said an exasperated Louie as he stuffed his hand in his hoodie.

And so the four went back to their great uncle and knocked on his door again. He opened it for them this time. “Ah kids you caught me at the right time. I was just about to take a little tea break,” Scrooge said as he let them all in. “So did you crack the case?”

“Well sort of,” said Webby. “It belongs to Uncle Donald and he said it's full of college memorabilia.”

“What’s the point of keeping all that if he didn’t even finish his damn degree?” Scrooge said mostly to himself.

“He didn’t finish college?”

“No that’s why I still call him a deadbeat. Him and that idiot Gladstone who relies on luck alone, at least Donald has tried working,” answered Scrooge.

“Uncle Scrooge do you know where he studied abroad? Mom said she doesn’t remember,” asked Huey.

“Of course I know he went to- where did he go… I think he said he was in Spain or something like that… ” Scrooge scratched his head with his cane in thought, but he couldn’t remember anything. 

“So he was gone for years and he didn’t tell you were he went?” said Louie.

“You said all of that was in the chest?” Scrooge asked instead of answering.

“Yeah, but he didn’t want to open it. We don’t even know where the key is either,” Dewey whined.

Scrooge began to pace his office contemplating his actions, “Now I’m not one to want to pry in something Donald doesn’t want us to, but I feel like this is something we ought to know so just his once I want you kids to do a little recon for me.”

Their faces lit up at the mention of spying. Webby was already pulling out her night vision goggles, where she got them just now is a mystery the boys wouldn’t question.

“I want you to find out where yer Uncle Donald is hiding the key and where the chest is and when we know both of those things we’ll get him out of the house to finally figure this mess out. I’m sure it’s nothing serious, but Donald told us nothing about college.”

“Yes, sir!” the group of ducklings said like a little spy squad ready for their mission.   
First things first, doing a little recon.

Of course Webby had everything they needed; binoculars, rope, night vision goggles, a grappling hook, a camera and microphone. Some of the stuff they probably wouldn’t need, but they were well prepared and that satisfied Huey. 

After dinner together as a family the mission was to launch and Donald suspected nothing even after he asked what the kids had been up to to which Webby replied, “Nothing! No spy missions or anything like that.” They really had to work on her deception skills. It was after that they were confronted by Lena.

“So a spy mission, huh? What exactly have you four been doing?” asked Lena.

Webby laughed nervously, “I’m pretty sure I said we were not doing a spy mission.”

“Webby I know you well enough that when you say you’re not doing something it means that is exactly what you’re doing so I want in.”

The four ducklings pulled the teen into the boys room to keep away from one specific said of ears that could hear them. Once the door was shut behind them they spilled the plan.

“So you need to find the key to Donald’s weird college photo chest?”

“That’s what he says it is, but there’s like this two year or so gap where Uncle Scrooge and our mom didn’t know where he was, so we were hoping it had answers,” explained Huey.

“How do you plan to find out?” Lena asked.

“We were just kinda hoping he would open the chest sooner or later while we watch from afar so we know where the key is,” answered Louie.

“I’ll stay up all night if I have to,” said Webby.

“No you won’t,” said Dewey, “Cause not even Uncle Donald stays up like that and he mostly sleeps in.”

“He sure does sleep a lot,” Lena commented.

That they all agreed on, but a plan was made and set in motion. Webby, Dewey and Huey would watch the houseboat with vantage points to look inside the windows undetected. Louie and Lena would keep anyone else away so they don’t interrupt Donald so that he gets paranoid and never opens the chest. 

That job was the easy one, because Scrooge and Della were all in on it too and Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad didn’t really go over to the houseboat. So really Louie and Lena got to relax and do nothing like they wanted. 

It was in the evening when the sun was setting that Dewey just about had it. Their Uncle Donald was too boring to watch for this long and he was starting to think whatever was in the chest wasn’t worth it. Then suddenly a pebble hit him in the head. 

Dewey glared to the direction it was thrown from when he saw Huey put a finger to his bill and point down at the houseboat. Readjusting his binoculars, Dewey looked inside.

Uncle Donald was looking out his window for anyone around. When he saw no one he walked into the center of his room and hit the ceiling with the side of his fist. A plank came loose and two items dropped down from where they were hiding.

A key with a note attached and a necklace with a large blue gem at the center of the pendant. Neither of them the kids recognized, but the key they knew what it had to be for.

Donald walked to the table where the chest still sat and with the key unlocked it. All three tried to get a look inside, but there was so little in the chest they couldn’t make it out. Donald placed the necklace in the chest and shut, locking it once more.

He picked up the chest and opened up one of the wood bench seats that surrounded the table and placed the chest inside. He had hidden the chest again, but this time they knew. Donald put the key back in its hiding place in the ceiling of his room and went back to watching tv.

The kids scrambled back into the house now with new found information. They ran to Louie and Lena who were just watching Ottoman Empire on tv.

“We should have taken shifts you two were no help,” said Dewey.

“You should have called out the job before I did then, Dewford,” Louie remarked with a smug grin and a mouth full of potato chips.

“It doesn’t matter, what matters now is we know where the key is. No all we have to do is get Uncle Donald out of the house tomorrow so we can bring the chest to Mom and Uncle Scrooge,” said Huey.

A plan was set in motion. They will find out what is in that chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter doesn't have much happening, I promise the next will be full of a lot more content.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My canon now.

Getting Donald out of the house was really too easy. Scrooge asked Mrs. Beakley to take him with her while grocery shopping and use ‘consulting him for making a meal the boys and everyone will agree on’ as an excuse, as if she couldn’t figure that out herself. With Donald gone the ducklings showed Scrooge and Della where the key was hiding in the houseboat.

“We lived in this boat for ten years and not once did we know about the secret spot in the ceiling or the bench,” Louie complained.

Dewey jumped and smacked the ceiling in Donald’s room but couldn’t reach the spot. “Hit the top somewhere in the middle,” He said to Uncle Scrooge.

After a few attempts of searching around and hitting the ceiling the key dropped to the floor. The note still attached to it.

Huey picked up the key and read the note:

‘Uncle Scrooge and Della,’ it read at the front and to the back it simply said, ‘If you find this and the chest I’m sorry.’

“Sorry? What for?” asked Della.

“Only one way to find out,” Scrooge groused. He already wasn’t liking how this was starting out.

Going into the kitchen Della and Lena lifted the bench seat and pulled out the chest, setting it on the table. 

“What we’re doing isn’t wrong, is it? This is Donald’s personal stuff and we’re invading that privacy,” Webby said last minute.

“The key was literally addressed to Uncle Scrooge and Mom so clearly he meant for this to be seen at some point,” Dewey countered.

“Yeah I guess you’re right...”

With that Scrooge took the key handed to him and put the key in the lock, opening it. 

There was no shining lights or glittering gold like most mysterious chests they opened, no this one was much more scarcely filled. 

The first thing pulled out was the necklace, now looking up close they could all see it was actually an amulet. The deep blue gem was beautiful as was the gold chain that held it.

“I’ve never seen this before,” said Scrooge as he set in on the table.

“That’s the amulet he put in there yesterday,” said Huey.

“There has to be more, right?” Della asked. With impatience she reached in and pulled out an envelope, the outside of it blank. Della opened it up and pulled out a folded up note to which she read out loud: 

Dear Uncle Scrooge and Della,  
I know it must be hard to see all this and realize that I have kept so much from the two of you. You are my family and I love you both, but it never seemed like the right time to say anything so I locked away my secrets for good. If you find this I hope you can forgive me for never telling either of you the truth. There is too much to be explained in just this letter so me and the guys agreed to each make our own videos to explain ourselves. I hope you understand.

Love, Donald.

“I still don’t understand…who are the guys?” Della said after reading the note.

“Well that explained nothing,” Louie said as he hopped up onto the bench and fished out a photo and a piece of paper.

“Wait was Uncle Donald actually in the navy? I thought it was just a getup he liked to wear,” Louie said when he looked at the picture.

“Give me those,” Scrooge snatched the picture and paper out of Louie’s hands. The duckling wasn’t wrong by how the picture looked. There stood Donald in front of a military naval ship next to others in similar uniforms. Scrooge passed the picture to Della and took a look at the paper that was with it.

“Donald Duck… honorable discharge? When was Donald in the navy?” Scrooge said with confusion.

“Wait so it wasn’t just a fashion choice?” Dewey said aghast when he and Huey were handed the photo.

“How could he have been in the military and none of you knew?” Lena asked to the rest of the duck family.

“He must have lied about being abroad… why would he lie about that?” Webby asked, but there was no answer. None of them knew.

Della took out the last two items in the chest; a vhs tape and another piece of paper. The tape was labeled as ‘Testament’ which no one knew what that was supposed to mean, and the paper was a will, but not Donald’s.

“This is Grandpa Coot’s will!” exclaimed Della. “Why does he have this? Grandpa Coot died forever ago.”

“I think all of our questions will be answered on that tape, don’t you think so?” said Scrooge.

“Testament sounds really foreboding,” said Webby.

“It can’t be that bad, can it? So Uncle Donald didn’t tell us he was in the navy, that covered the whole abroad thing. What else can there be?” Huey tried to reason. 

“Why are we all staring at this asking ourselves more questions? Let’s find a vcr and play the dang tape, hm?” Lena interjected.

She was right, everyone was just bringing up more confusing things so it's best to just use the vhs for what is was intended for. Taking the chest with them the family moved to the tv room and dusted off the vcr. 

It hadn't been hooked into the tv for awhile, but setting it up was easy. It was the next step that felt hard to them. 

Donald's vague apology letter made his family feel uneasy about the video's content and what it meant for them. Still the tape was put in by Dewey, the tv blue screened before playing the tape.

There appeared donald, much younger and sitting in an unfamiliar bedroom. He wore blue flannel and a gray shirt underneath. It was much like when Dewey met his uncle as a kid, but this one was a young adult, no longer with the emo fringe. There was a little frame around the screen and a battery symbol that showed the camcorder to be at half power. 

Donald on the screen sighed when he made eye contact with the camera. "I don't even know where to begin with this…" he said softly.

Everyone sat on the couch and around the room in anticipation.

"José, Panchito and I agreed it was best we make these videos as sort of a back up plan, but we don't want it to come to this," he said as he averted his eyes from the camera.

He paused and looked back at the camera. "I guess I'll start from the beginning of where… of when I started lying to you both. I never studied abroad like I said I was. Instead I joined the navy." 

Donald wrung his hands together nervously. "Uncle Scrooge I'm sorry I'm not an entrepreneur like you or that I love adventure as much as Della. I know you wanted me to pay for my own college so I could figure out how to be self made like you, but… I'm not you. I don't know how to make it big or how to go treasure hunting on my own without coming out empty handed or with more injuries."

"So I joined the navy because they could pay for my school. I never told you because I didn't want you to think it was your decision that forced me into it. I just don't think like you do so I came up with the only idea I could. I can't really tell you where I was, but I was stationed out in the pacific ocean for my first year. And then the second year…"

Donald paused and stopped wringing his hands together. There was a vacant look about him as he looked into the camera blankly. He shook his head and continued on, "That second year I was more to the middle east. You know… where all the fighting was happening that year. I can't really talk about the specifics of the assignment, but we were supposed to stop another ship from leaving and… only me and one other crew member survived."

Della and Scrooge exchanged horrified looks as did all the ducklings. This was the first time any of them had heard this. How had Donald been keeping this to himself for so long?  
On the screen Donald kept talking. "My other crewmate got knocked unconscious and the ship was sinking so I had to swim us to shore. I wish I could have found more of them… When we got to land other american soldiers found us so we got treated and sent back to the pacific within a month."

"If I ever had any luck to begin with I think it all got spent that day," Donald chuckled in an attempt to bring up his own mood. It wasn't really working on those watching.  
"Then I was discharged and went back home and lied to you… I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry that I can't say that this is the end of what I need to tell you."

"There's more…?" Said Louie.

"There's more," said Donald as though he could hear Louie and answered him.

"Grandpa Coot died and with him in his will he gave me what I guess could only be explained as a prophecy." Donald held up the very same amulet as in the chest, there was a glow to the one on screen that the one they had lacked.

"There are supposed to be three caballeros, three warriors meant to fight a great evil and Grandpa coot held onto these until that evil happened and well… it's about to happen. It just so happened to be me, José and Panchito are the descendants of the last three caballeros so we each got one of these amulets and now I guess we're supposed to fight this evil sorcerer."

Donald stuttered and backtracked, "None of this is in the will. We got a book that holds a goddess named Xandra too and she told us. Oh you two would love her," said Donald with a smile. "She's the goddess of adventure and from everything I told her about you she would love to meet you too. That is… if we can get to that point." Donald's smile faded.

"Xandra showed us a vision of the past of our ancestors. I know she didn't mean to scare us and just wanted to give us warning, but I am scared. In the vision there was so much destruction and fighting and people fleeing that I don't want to happen again to us. The magic in the amulets our ancestors used sealed the sorcerer Felldrake away, but now the seal is breaking."

Donald brought his legs up, sighting tighter and closing in on himself. He took a shaky breath, "Sealing Felldrake was the last spell they could cast before… before he killed them."

His eyes started to water, it was contagious. The mood of the video caught everyone in the room by their heartstrings. Donald practically had a captive audience.

"I don't want to die and I don’t want to do this, but there really isn’t a choice for me,” said Donald with a sniffle.

“If we don’t stop the sorcerer Felldrake this time then everyone could die too. I would rather you two be okay than me. At best all three of us come back home and I never have to think about it again, at worst we all die… at the middle maybe at least we can try to seal him away again. Even if it kills me like the other caballero before me.”

Donald paused to wipe his face with the palm of his hand, willing himself to not break down crying. “I don’t want to tell you this because I know you will try and stop me or go with me, but I can’t let him kill you too. So I’m making this video that in case everything goes wrong you two will know what happened and about everything I’ve kept from you. I’ll hide this key somewhere in the mansion with a clue and if I come back then I’ll get the key and probably act like this never happened. As far as you know right now Jose, Panchito and I are about to leave on vacation for a week to stay with Jose’s family in Brazil.”

There was a knock on the door in the video and Donald turned to it.

“Doing alright in there, amigo?” 

Donald stood up, “Uh- yeah just a minute!”

Looking back to the camera Donald took a breath to gather himself. “I’m sorry all I’ve done is lie these past few years. I hope you can forgive me.”

With those final words Donald moved closer to the camera and stopped recording.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A treasure chest of angst.  
> Fell free to yell at me in the comments or on tumblr @ 75thhero ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Dead silence. Then a sniffle. Then a restrained sob.

“Why… Why didn’t he-” Della started with tears in her eyes, but a cough from behind her caught her attention.

Donald stood against the doorway, not looking at her, but at the blackened screen. “I should have known this couldn’t stay secret when the kids saw that chest.”

Della stood up to face her twin, “Why didn’t you ever tell us? I thought we could always trust each other.”

Donald turned to his sister with a softened expression, “I do trust you. I just didn’t want you to get hurt…”

“Not back then I mean after! I get that you think you were protecting us back then, I probably would have done the same, but what about when you came home? Was this secret just too much for us?” Della’s hands balled into fists at her sides. She was still crying.

Donald walked further into the TV room, his face apologetic, “It never felt like the right time and then so much time had passed it seemed too late. So I tried to forget everything.”  
Scrooge stood up, clutched his cane tightly with his left hand, not because he needed its support, physically that is. “I wish you had said something sooner, Donald. I’ve called you a lot of names, because you didn’t have a job or finish college, but I never knew how hard you worked to be here.” He walked up to Donald, arms open.

Donald gladly accepted and returned the hug. “I know should have said something sooner. I’m sorry,” he said into Scrooge’s shoulder.

“Lad if I have to hear you apologize one more time today I’m going to blow a gasket.”

Donald chuckled, “I did that a lot in the video didn’t I?”

Releasing each other from the hug Donald opened an arm out to Della who was sulking off to the side. 

Della sighed and wiped her face, a soft smile replacing her tears. She hugged Donald and Scrooge tightly. “You better tell me the details of everything… if you’re okay with that, that is.”

“Yeah I can do that.”

Upon releasing each other it was the ducklings turn to hug their Uncle Donald, tackling him down with the strength of their weight and force. Donald smiled and wrapped his arms around them.

“Don’t hide things from us ever again, Uncle Donald! I don’t wanna cry from a video like that ever again,” said Louie.

“We would have been better kids if we knew you almost died twice!” Dewey proclaimed.

Donald rubbed his back as they all got out their sadness, “You already are good kids. I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Do you not like fireworks because of that fight when you were in the navy?” Huey asked quietly into his shirt.

Donald’s eyes went wide, god that kid was smart. “Yes, it is,” he answered simply.

Webby had been awfully quiet which was unusual for the bubbly girl. She didn’t say anything until they all stood up from their hug. “You’re a good uncle,” she said quietly.

Donald smiled at Webby and pat her head, “You’re a good niece.”

Webby beamed at him, now in high spirits with the boys, she loved being part of this family.

While Lena didn’t hug Donald they did fist bump. She was still acclimating to being one of them, but she did love being part of their activities.

Everyone piled out of the TV room, back to play time, planning and whatever shenanigans the day called for. The last ones out of the room were the adults. Scrooge pat Donald on the back, looking not to him, but at the kids.

“You’ve done good Donald, I couldn’t have asked for a better nephew. Though don’t let it get in your head I still don’t want you to get a real job.”

Donald laughed, “I know, Uncle Scrooge.”

Scrooge went back to his financial work, Donald and Della had some unexpected catching up to do.

Everything had settled down again by dinner time when the family got together again to eat in each other’s company. Talk had for the most part changed from Donald’s past to video games and new planned adventures.

“What happened to that goddess of adventure you mentioned anyways?” asked Scrooge after swallowing his food.

“Do we still get to meet her?” Della looked to her brother with puppy dog eyes.  
Donald hummed in thought, “I don’t know actually. I think she went off on her own adventure after her work with us was done. With Felldrake defeated she wasn’t tied to us or any caballeros future prophecies.”

“Do you think we’ll get to meet her one day on a different adventure? Like a daring narrow escape from the unknown when suddenly a goddess appears at our side!” Webby stood on her chair and mimicked her daydream with enthusiasm.

Lena rolled her eyes, but smiled. “With how much this family gets into danger I don’t doubt the possibilities.”

“I’m just glad I can finally get rid of that tape and hang those pictures up back on the boat,” said Donald.

“Pictures as in multiple?” Huey asked. “There was only one of you in uniform.”

“Really? There should have also been one of Me, Jose, Panchito and Xandra in there too from back when she was teaching us how to use the amulets. I guess I forgot to put it in there.” Donald shrugged. “I can ask Panchito to send me a copy later.”

“They should come visit here sometime!” said Dewey.

Scrooge interjected, pointing his fork at his nephew. “Absolutely not! I do not want that music playing non stop at this household. I already had to endure it once before.”

The family laughed and in so dinner continued as it should.

Years ago…

Somewhere deep in a jungle where time is lost on the flora and fauna that call it home, a woman passes through with weary feet, but a content heart. Pushing past thick vines and leaves she reveals to her eyes a temple, old and disrepair, but nothing hard work and an infinite time can’t fix. 

Xandra looks to her old home, a temple built in praise of her blessing, with a smile. No longer bound to anyone or any prophecy she can relax for a bit before starting her next adventure. She did have fun though while doing her part in saving the world.

From her pocket she pulls out a small polaroid. A picture of her and three others clad in blue, green and red, smiling at the camera. Looking at it her smile starts to match that of herself in the photo. Who's to say she won’t see them again. If they carry the courageous spirit of adventure she knows those three have then she has nothing to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this ending was satisfactory and I'm glad to have had you all for the (emotional) ride.
> 
> None of this was beta'd so I'm sorry if there were ever any errors
> 
> Until motivation consumes me like I do a with a family sized bag of mini m&ms that's all for now :)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little headcannon I've had for awhile to tie in with the original Ducktales to elaborate on Donald.  
> Let me know in the comment s what you think so far!


End file.
